Blinds
Forced bets posted before the cards: the small blind and big blind.
In practice
They create an initial pot and move the action forward each orbit.
PokerRota library
The vocabulary for better decisions.
Short definitions, practical context and a flashcard mode for pressure-free review.
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Button (BTN)
The marker showing the dealer position; it moves one seat after every hand.
In practice
Postflop, the BTN usually acts last and receives more information.
Position
The order in which a player acts relative to the opponents.
In practice
Acting later lets you observe decisions before choosing your action.
Check
Continue without betting when nobody has bet on this street.
In practice
If everyone checks, the hand moves to the next street with no new chips in the pot.
Bet
Put in the first wager on a street.
In practice
Betting 1/3 pot on the flop makes opponents call, raise or fold.
Call
Match the current bet to stay in the hand.
In practice
Against a bet of 20, calling costs 20 chips.
Raise
Increase the current bet; the minimum raise is at least the last full raise.
In practice
Against a bet of 20, raising to 60 is a raise of 40.
Fold
Give up the hand and the chips already in the pot.
In practice
Folding 7-2 before the flop costs only the chips already put in.
All-in
Bet every remaining chip. A player who cannot cover a bet may go all-in for less and contests only the part they matched.
In practice
With 8 BB, a preflop all-in is the typical push/fold play.
Pot
All chips bet in a hand. All-ins of different sizes create a main pot and side pots.
In practice
The showdown winner takes the pot they are eligible for; ties split it.
Stack
The chips a player has in front of them. In tournaments it is measured in big blinds (BB).
In practice
A 12,000 stack at 300/600 blinds is 20 BB.
Street
Each betting round: preflop, flop, turn and river.
In practice
The table shows the current street; on the river all five community cards are out.
Board
The face-up cards in the middle that every player can use.
In practice
On a board with three spades, a single suit can complete a flush.
Effective stack
The smallest stack among the players still involved in a hand.
In practice
If you have 60 BB and an opponent has 25 BB, only 25 BB from each side is at risk.
Range
The set of hands a player can plausibly hold in a situation.
In practice
Analysis compares groups of possible hands instead of guessing one exact holding.
Equity
The estimated share of the pot a hand wins on average against a range.
In practice
Forty percent equity does not mean winning this hand; it describes an average across many outcomes.
Pot odds
The relationship between the cost of a call and the pot size after calling.
In practice
Calling 25 for a final pot of 125 requires about 20% immediate equity.
Continuation bet (c-bet)
A bet made by the previous street's aggressor when action reaches the next street.
In practice
A c-bet is not automatic: texture, ranges and position still matter.
Ante
An additional forced contribution that increases the pot before cards are dealt.
In practice
With an ante, more value starts in the pot and ranges may change.
Bubble
The stage immediately before the paid places in a tournament.
In practice
Stacks and the payout structure can change the relative value of risk at this stage.
ICM
A model estimating the relative monetary value of tournament stacks from the payout structure.
In practice
It explains why losing chips can cost more than gaining the same number adds.
Push/fold
A short-stack strategy where the only preflop choice is to move all-in (push) or give up the hand (fold).
In practice
At 8 BB a small raise that folds to a shove wastes chips; push or fold keeps the decision simple.
Big blind ante
A format where the big blind player posts the ante for the whole table, usually equal to 1 BB.
In practice
With a BB ante the starting pot grows from 1.5 BB to 2.5 BB, so more hands are worth shoving.
Blind level
A fixed period of a tournament during which the blinds (and the ante, if any) stay the same.
In practice
With 20-minute levels, the blinds rise every 20 minutes of play, with breaks set by the clock.
Average stack
Total chips in play divided by the players remaining: starting stack × players at the start ÷ players remaining.
In practice
With 10 players starting on 10,000 chips and 4 left, the average stack is 25,000.
Chip EV
Expected value measured in chips, without converting chips into prize money.
In practice
A shove can be +0.3 BB in chip EV and still be questionable near the bubble, where ICM matters more.
Freeroll
A tournament with no buy-in. PokerRota freerolls use virtual chips and have no cash prizes.
In practice
It is a way to practise action order and tournament pace without risk.
Satellite
A tournament whose main prize is entry into another event.
In practice
Its payout structure often values survival differently from a standard MTT.
Buy-in
The amount paid to enter a tournament, often shown together with the room's fee.
In practice
In a €50 + €5 event, €50 goes to the prize pool and €5 is the fee.
Re-entry
A new paid entry into the same tournament after being eliminated, within the allowed period.
In practice
Each re-entry is an extra cost and counts towards the total invested in that tournament.
ROI
Return on investment: net result divided by the total paid in entries.
In practice
Paying €110 and receiving €180 is a €70 result and an ROI of about 64% — on a tiny sample.
ITM (in the money)
Finishing a tournament in a paid position.
In practice
The ITM rate shows how often you cashed, not how much you won.
Live tournament
A tournament played in person at a card room or casino, with physical chips and cards.
In practice
Each live tournament's times and buy-in are published by the casino or organiser.
Festival / stop
A series of several tournaments at the same casino over a few days, often with a main event.
In practice
At a multi-day stop, every tournament has its own start time and buy-in.
Freezeout
A tournament with no re-entry or rebuy: once you lose your chips, you are out.
In practice
In a freezeout the total cost is known up front: buy-in plus fee.
Rebuy
Buying more chips during the allowed period, usually when your stack falls below a set amount.
In practice
Every rebuy raises the total cost of the tournament and should be recorded.
Late registration
The period after a tournament starts during which you can still enter.
In practice
The organiser sets how long late registration lasts, and it can change.
Guaranteed prize pool
The minimum prize pool the organiser commits to pay, even with few entries.
In practice
A guarantee is the organiser's commitment, not a promise of winnings for players.
Waiting list
A queue to get into a tournament or table when all seats are taken.
In practice
Being on the waiting list does not guarantee a seat; confirm on site.
Calendar reminder
An alert set in your own calendar (Google, Apple, Outlook…) before an event.
In practice
Reminders in an .ics file are shown by your calendar app, according to its settings.
Muck
The area for discarded cards; also the act of folding without showing.
In practice
Protect your cards and confirm your decision before pushing them into the muck.
String bet
An attempt to place chips for one bet using multiple undeclared motions.
In practice
It may be ruled only a call; announce the amount clearly and confirm house rules.
One-chip rule
Placing one oversized chip without a verbal declaration may be interpreted as a call.
In practice
Application varies; announce raise and the amount before moving the chip.
Floor
The official who rules on procedures and disputes in a poker room.
In practice
If there is uncertainty or a dispute, ask the dealer to call the floor before continuing.
Session limit
The maximum time and budget set before starting.
In practice
The limit should exist before the first hand and should not rise to recover losses.
Cooling-off period
A voluntary temporary break from access to or participation in gambling.
In practice
A break creates distance when play stops feeling enjoyable or controlled.
Self-exclusion
A formal mechanism for blocking your own access to gambling for a chosen period.
In practice
Details depend on jurisdiction and operator; always consult the relevant official source.
Scheduled break
A planned stop to leave the table and check physical and emotional state.
In practice
The break happens by the clock, not only after a difficult hand.
Bankroll
Money set aside only for playing, separate from everyday spending.
In practice
Recording every session shows what you put in and got back; it does not guarantee future results.
Drawdown
How far the bankroll has fallen from the highest value it reached.
In practice
A drawdown describes past swings; it does not tell you what happens next.
Live rules and protection tools can vary. Always confirm with the venue, operator or relevant official source.